‘I know. And the humans’ weapons may be able to damage it.’ The crystal heart was the focus for all the earth energy powering the fortress. ‘The key will soon be here.’ He indicated the remaining sarcophagi. ‘Be ready to use it!’ He ran back to the throne room to oversee the impending battle.

Eddie got up, finding he had acquired a whole new layer of aches and bruises on top of those already there. He staggered to the broken wall to see the results of his handiwork.

The concrete mixer had smashed through the fortress’s upper hull, leaking its load into the holes ripped in the metal. The aircraft’s draconic snout was buried in the ground. ‘How to pain your dragon,’ he said, pleased by the damage he had caused. Even if it managed to get airborne again, it would be more vulnerable, even crippled.

The fortress shuddered and started to pull itself free, the truck noisily rolling off the hull. He turned to find the launcher. Now might be the time to put a rocket through its window—

Shouts from below. The warriors were no longer advancing in triumph, but had spread out, using the trees for cover as they ran towards him.

He ducked and ran as their spear weapons came up—

The wall and floor exploded behind him as he snatched up the Type 08, chunks of shattered masonry bouncing off his back. He kept running, clearing the blast zone, but he had nowhere to go. There was no way off the roof—

A fearsome crack – and the entire end of the structure where he had been standing fell in a storm of flying debris.

Gadreel looked on as his warriors blasted the building with their barakas. The chariot’s driver had just shown himself, a bald human in a coat of dark leather, and the angry men below reacted accordingly.

The end of the structure collapsed, its upper floors falling and bringing those below cascading down. A large part of the strange building – he still could not fathom its function – remained standing, though.

It would not for long. ‘Bring it all down!’

Eddie reached the upper floor’s broken end and looked down. If he hung from the edge, he might be able to drop to the level below – but its surviving floor slabs were badly damaged. A safe landing was far from guaranteed, and even then he still had to get all the way to the ground.

Where he would be an easy target. More energy bolts slammed into the car park, concrete shattering explosively – and then a main gun on the fortress unleashed another devastating blast. A huge section of the top floor blew apart, tons of smashed concrete flying at him—

He dropped over the edge, hitting the slab below hard – and scrambled backwards as a punishing grey hailstorm swept past in front of him.

No time for relief. More shots from the spears ripped into the concrete behind—